columnar/cuboidal epithelial cell meso-epithelial cell renal intercalated cell A cuboidal epithelial cell of the kidney that regulates acid/base balance. Intercalated cells are also called “mitochondria-rich cells”, reflecting the high levels of round mitochondria at their apical pole, or in their cytoplasm, a distribution that is quite different from that of other kidney tubule cells, which accumulated mitochondria around the basolateral membrane. These cells also have numerous irregular apical microvilli compared with the surrounding segment-specific cells. Intercalated cells lack a central cilium, at least in the cortex, which also differentiates them from the adjacent principal cells. intercalated cell FMA:86560 epithelial cell of nephron